Letson’s Bold Three-Wide Move Earns Him Checkers
Jason Morman had the perfect plan to drive in to victory lane Montgomery, until he looked to his left and saw Jeff Letson streaking to the inside in turn three.
Morman and Letson split then-race leader Okie Mason on an early race restart, bringing the fans in the grandstands to their feet and allowing Letson to sneak by to grab the lead. Letson would go on to lead the rest of the event, staking his claim as the open-wheel king of Montgomery.
“The 33 (Morman) went to the outside on that restart and the 10 (Mason) was struggling off of turn two,” Letson said. “The bottom opened up and I drove it down there. They got together a little and I shot out in front.”
Morman thought he was in the catbird seat, as he was getting good bite on the outside lane. That all changed when a black blur appeared in his peripheral vision.
“On that three-wide move, I look out the side and saw the hood of his car and his front tires and thought ‘Oh, hell. I better go in there a little bit wider,” Morman said. “I tried to run him down and stay on his bumper the rest of the day to frustrate him, but he is just about as good as it gets.”
Following the three-wide move, Letson paced the field for the remainder of the event. Morman stalked his rear deck the rest of the race, but never could get close enough to make a move.
“My car got a little free towards the end, but was able to hold him off,” Letson said. “He raced me clean, and I really appreciate that.”
The Modifieds of Mayhem tour returns to the track April 1 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.
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-By Ryan McCollough, Speed51.com Deep South Correspondent